Field of the Invention
The present application relates generally to wireless network communications and, more specifically, to systems, methods, and devices for communicating between wireless devices where reduced or optimized noise figures of the wireless device(s) are desired.
Description of the Related Art
In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.), and the frequency at which communications take place (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided or guided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
Wireless devices that participate in wireless communications may be subject to various factors that affects their respective noise figures (NF). The noise figure of a device may be a measure of its “goodness” or relation to an ideal device. For example, a noise figure may characterize the ability for systems that process weak signals to properly process the received signals that are communicated. For example, systems having high noise figures may correspond to systems with worse performance than corresponding systems having low noise figures. The noise figure may also correspond to individual components that form the system, and may be measured in decibels (dB). For example, these systems may comprise a plurality of components, including a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a pre-amplifier, an IF amplifier, A/D or D/A converters (ADCs or DACs), attenuators, and other components. Each of these components may have individual noise figures, while the system as a whole may comprise an aggregate or total noise figure. The noise figure for the system may degrade (e.g., increase in amount) as additional components are included in the system or as other parameters of the system change and fluctuate during operation. For example, during operation, temperature of the components and system may change or fluctuate. Such a change may cause the noise figure of corresponding components to degrade (e.g., increase).
The degradation of the noise figure caused by the changes in temperature may be compensated for by calibrating one or more components of the system. In some aspects, calibrating the one or more components of the system may comprise adjusting one or more parameters of the one or more components. For example, one or more of the components may be adjusted to consume additional or less current to increase or decrease gain of the one or more components. However, such an increase in current consumption may result in an increased consumption of power or consuming more power than needed. Additionally, such calibration of the one or more components of the system may utilize external measurement instruments and/or precise gain measurements. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for calibrating noise figures for components or a system configured to perform wireless communications are desired.